Use vault identities to keep work and personal credentials separate

If you have one LastPass account for both work and personal use, you can separate relevant items into sub-vaults. When you toggle between them, you'll see only the credentials relevant to that identity, and LastPass will suggest only those items for autofill. This reduces confusion and clutter, especially if you have both personal and professional accounts for the same services. You can also create mini-vaults based on category themes (such as travel or shopping) to organize your data. Go to Advanced options > Add identities on the left-hand navigation and click the Add icon. Name the new identity and drag and drop items into it. Then click Save. You can switch identities from the drop-down under your user account.

Set up custom fields to save PINs and security questions

In addition to your username and password, LastPass has custom fields you can use if a website or app requires other inputs—such as a PIN or security question—for logging in. Instead of saving these as text in a notes box, you can specify the name and value in a custom field. Open your password, tap the Edit icon, and select Custom fields > Add custom field. Add the name in the Field label column, then enter the value in the Field content column and tap Save.

Use "Favorites" to quickly launch frequently visited sites

If you open the same sites over and over—such as your work email, calendar, or project management platform—you can add these to your LastPass favorites and launch them all with one click. This streamlines your morning workflow, so you no longer need to type URLs or open separate bookmarks. Find the item you want to favorite in your vault, hover and tap the Edit icon, and select Star > Save. When you're ready to launch, go to Advanced Options in the sidebar of your web vault and hit Open your favorite sites. Each will open in a new tab, and LastPass can autofill credentials if needed.

Use item history to restore old passwords or reverse a lockout

If you update credentials on a website or app, password managers will prompt you to automatically save the new version to your vault. Sometimes, though, the site itself glitches or fails to update the password, locking you out of your account. Instead of going through a tedious reset process, you can view the version history in LastPass to grab the most recent password. Open the item and select Edit, tap the History icon, and select View to see the last five changes.

Add important documents to Notes for easy access when you travel

If you need access to important documents like your passport, birth certificate, or medical records when you're away from home, but don't want to store them in the cloud unsecured, you can add them to LastPass. The app encrypts each document, so they're accessible only when your vault is unlocked on your device. Attachments can be up to 10 MB each. (Free users have a total storage limit of 50 MB, while LastPass Premium subscribers get 1 GB.) Select Notes in the navigation bar and tap the Add Item icon. Select Attachments and follow the prompts. LastPass supports a variety of file types, including .pdf, .docx, .jpeg, and .txt.

Whitelist other countries so you can access your vault abroad (or when using a VPN)

By default, LastPass limits logins to your vault to the country where your account was created—a security feature that protects your account from unauthorized access attempts. However, there may be times when you need to access from a different country, such as when you're traveling or using a VPN connection elsewhere in the world. You can whitelist additional countries under Account settings > General > Show Advanced Settings. Under Security > Country Restriction, check Only allow login from selected countries and select the countries you want to add. Then hit Update, enter your master password, and select Continue.

Restrict views on shared logins to keep passwords hidden

Credential sharing is a useful feature in most password managers, as it allows you to securely send logins for shared accounts. However, there may be times when you want to grant someone access to an account to complete a task but not allow them to view the password itself—for example, if you have an assistant who uses your social media or billing platforms, or a family member who wants temporary access to a streaming service. When you hide passwords, those you share with can use autofill but not view or copy the plain-text credential. When you share individual items, you can leave Allow Recipient to View Password unchecked; in Shared Folders, you can check Hide Passwords next to the recipient's name.

Set up emergency access to pass down your digital estate

Unlike some password managers, LastPass has an explicit legacy access feature that allows you to will your vault to a trusted contact if you are incapacitated. Once invited, a trusted contact can request access to your vault. If you don't decline the request within a specified wait time, they will receive an Emergency Access folder in their vault containing all of the items in yours. Vault owners can revoke access later, but this is useful if your trusted contact needs to manage financial accounts or have access to other data, even temporarily. In your vault, go to Emergency access in the left navigation menu and open the People I Trust tab. Tap the plus sign and enter your trusted contact's email. (Note that they must also have a LastPass account or create one.) Specify the wait time, then hit Send Invite.

Set up equivalent domains to merge multiple items into one entry

If you have a single account you use to log in across multiple domains or subdomains from a single provider, you can merge these items in your LastPass vault instead of maintaining separate entries. For example, you might have a single account used across Apple domains that you'd prefer not to store as individual items. This reduces clutter in your vault and streamlines your autofill options down to one. Go to Advanced options in your vault and select Autofill settings > Equivalent Domains > Add new. In the domain field, enter the domain you want to merge, then tap Add.

Add 'Never URLs' to prevent LastPass from autofilling credentials or forms on specific websites

Another useful advanced setting is "Never URLs," which allows you to disable some (or all) LastPass interaction with certain sites. You can opt to prevent pop-ups prompting you to generate or save a password—which can happen if you're simply entering a two-factor authentication code—or disable autofill if multiple people are using the same device. Go to Advanced options > Autofill settings > Never URLs and select Add new. Enter the URL and select the desired action, then hit Save.

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Spotify's new audio articles feature uses AI

Spotify announced its new "narrated articles" feature in a press release on Tuesday. According to the company, users now have access to over 650 "long-form" magazine articles to listen to through the app. Spotify says the company's in-house team at Spotify Audiobooks is behind these audio productions, including articles from magazines like The Atlantic, Billboard, GQ, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and WIRED.

While real humans are performing some of these narrations, Spotify is, predictably, using AI to generate audio for the rest. The company told TechCrunch that any portion of an article narrated by AI will be labeled as such, so listeners know whether they're hearing a human or a bot.

Articles are included in Premium—at the cost of your listening time

Spotify says all narrated articles are less than two hours long, which is important context, as they count towards Spotify Premium's 15-hour monthly listening time limit. That means if you're a Premium user and you tend to listen to audiobooks as part of your Spotify subscription, these articles will reduce the hours you have to listen to books. If an article takes an hour and a half to listen to, that counts the same as if you listened to 90 minutes of an audiobook. If you run out of time, you'll have to purchase "top-ups" to keep listening.

Free users can still listen to articles on Spotify, but they'll have to pay a fee per article: $1.99 for each piece, regardless of length.

Other ways to listen to articles without giving money to Spotify

If you already pay for Spotify and you don't listen to many audiobooks through the service, this new feature might make sense for you—you can listen to quite a few articles within that 15-hour monthly time limit, and it's likely Spotify will only continue to add to its library as time goes on. However, if you use Spotify for free, $1.99 per article will add up quickly. As someone working in digital media, I'm all for supporting journalism, but unless you're using the feature to listen to an article only every now and then, you might end up paying as much as a full subscription to the site that published it would cost.

As such, it's worth noting that a simple text-to-speech generator can accomplish the same thing that Spotify's service does here, but for free—assuming you already have access to the article in question. There are a ton of generators to choose from, and chances are good your device has one built in. If you're on a Mac or iPhone, for example, you can highlight any text, choose "Speech" (Mac) or "Speak" (iPhone), and your device will begin reading the text aloud. Depending on the program you're using, the narration may even sound relatively natural, versus the robotic voices you might be used to from text-to-speech generators of old. (Yes, you have generative AI to thank for that.)

Using this method would free up those dollars, perhaps to be put toward subscribing to publications directly. Of course, there are ways you can get around a paywall to read many articles for free, but if you can, I encourage you to support digital media you find useful.

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There are a lot of excellent earbuds out there, but if you're in the Apple ecosystem, few options are better than AirPods. While Apple's earbuds offer fantastic audio quality in their own right, their real selling point is how well they work with the company's other products. If you have one device, like an iPhone, your AirPods will instantly pair with it when you pop them in your ears; if you have multiple devices, like a Mac or an iPad, your AirPods will automatically switch between them as you start different audio sources. If you have an Apple TV, you can quickly pair your AirPods with a button press on the remote and watch movies and shows without bothering anyone else in the house. For those of us in the ecosystem, AirPods are pretty great.

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There is one major downside to AirPods, however, especially for Android users coming from a competitor's earbuds: settings and management. See, AirPods are ideal when you don't have to tinker with the defaults. Auto-pairing, auto-switching, Conversation Awareness: The automated settings make AirPods easy to use. But once you start thinking about changing the settings, things get a bit murky. Rather than a dedicated AirPods app to manage these defaults, Apple instead spreads out your AirPods' options throughout your device's OS. Take iOS, for instance: You can control a number of settings from the volume slider in Control Center, including noise cancellation, Conversation Awareness, and Spatial Audio. But you won't find other settings, especially any that have to do with customizing your AirPods. For that, you'll need to dive into the Settings app. When paired, your AirPods should appear towards the top of the page, but if not, you might need to jump into Bluetooth settings, then tap the (i) next to your AirPods. Here, you'll find all of the settings and features you can adjust on your AirPods, minus EQ. If you want to change that (at least for Apple Music), you'll need to find the Music app's settings page, then "EQ." In short, the whole experience is a bit of a mess.

iOS 27 may improve AirPods management

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple may be improving things with its upcoming iOS 27 update. Gurman says that Apple "has heard the feedback" about the lackluster experience of managing AirPods settings, and while the company isn't necessarily building a dedicated app, it is taking steps to update the AirPods settings menu.

The goal here is to make the menu "more functional, better organized, and more streamlined." Details are thin, but Gurman says the overhaul should make AirPods easier to work with, and users should be able to clearly see all the features their AirPods are capable of from this new menu. Perhaps this means a more permanent placement in the Settings app, as well as a reorganized settings menu, with clearly labeled categories and explanations for all features.

Personally, I think Apple should consider adding graphics and animations in this space. Some features are too complicated for a quick text blurb: People may need to see how things work in order to learn how to use those features themselves. One of my favorite AirPods Pro perks is Adaptive Transparency, which can lower the loudness of sounds without blocking them. Teaching users how to use this feature, and even how to adjust it to make it more or less sensitive, would be an excellent use of this settings redesign.

AirPods really need a dedicated app

While this could be a step in the right direction, AirPods are in desperate need of a dedicated app. Apple can make the new settings menu as clear and easy to follow as possible, but how many people are going to go digging through their Settings app to find these options? I think new AirPods users are much more likely to try an app on their iPhones called "AirPods," and learn about all the things their new earbuds can do for them—and how they can personalize the experience to their needs.

Plus, it's beyond time for Apple to offer some sophisticated EQ and tuning options, which would fit perfectly in an AirPods app. While the overall sound experience is great for most users, plenty of other earbuds come with these adjustments, which let users customize the sound experience to their liking. Apple's built-in EQ presets are far from adequate, since you can't actually customize each. If "Bass Booster" doesn't actually boost the bass enough for you, too bad. Apple doesn't love customers breaking out from its core design, but when it comes to AirPods, especially AirPods Pro, I think the company should relent.

Based on Bloomberg's reporting, it sounds like an AirPods app isn't coming anytime soon, so I should consider myself lucky I'm getting improved AirPods settings at all with iOS 27. But if Apple wants to seriously update the AirPods management experience, I hope they consider a dedicated app for iOS 28—or even a future version of iOS 27.

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41 years ago, The Golden Girls taught us to pay attention to older people, who still have plenty to offer; that same year, Ron Howard's Cocoon taught us about the importance of leveraging alien eggs for eternal youth. That last one is probably slightly more relevant to sci-fi thriller The Boroughs, though it does feel like it's been a while since retirees have had the spotlight on television. The new Netflix show finds an invariably talented and thoroughly recognizable cast (Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Denis O'Hare, Clarke Peters, and Geena Davis, among others) confronting a series of freaky mysteries in their seemingly idyllic, but entirely remote, retirement community. We're due for a senior moment. It's rare enough lately that I wasn't able to come up with the full list of retiree-related horror/sci-fi/mystery shows that I wanted to (and would absolutely watch), but there are still some solid vibe matches that take us to a variety of creepy little towns to, hopefully, find some older people taking care of business.

Widow's Bay (2026 – )

Another recent addition to the atlas of regrettable vacation destinations is Widow's Bay, an isolated New England island trying to shrug off its townie reputation in favor of becoming a tourist destination à la Martha's Vineyard—but, alas, the timing isn't great. Cozy and idyllic on the surface, Widow's Bay appears to be "waking up," according to a few of the more tuned-in locals. Mayor Tom Loftus (Matthew Rhys), a relative newcomer, is having none of it—at least until a killer clown and waterlogged lady come for him, convincing him to join forces with local eccentric Wyck (Stephen Root) who is, it would seem, on to something. The show is frequently funny, but also legitimately scary. Stream Widow's Bay on Apple TV.

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Stranger Things (2016 – 2025)

On the surface, Stranger Things and The Boroughs don't have a ton in common beyond the sci-fi/horror angle (and the presence of The Duffer Brothers, who created the one and executive produce the other), but the vibes here are strangely aligned. Both shows have a reverence for the genre movies of the 1980s, and each owes a debt to Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard—even though one is set in the past and one in the present, both feel like they could easily exist in the universe of E.T. or Cocoon. You're probably familiar with Stranger Things by now, but just in case: An ensemble cast of mostly kids uncover dark deeds in their small Indiana town after a mysterious girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) turns up displaying psychokinetic powers. Stream Stranger Things on Netflix.

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The Midwich Cuckoos (2022)

You almost certainly know this story as Village of the Damned, the title under which it's been adapted twice previously. This isn't quite a perfect adaptation of John Wyndham's darkly satirical science fiction novel, but it's likely as close as we've come, capturing the novel's eeriness if not entirely its sense of humor. A blackout in the titular English village leaves everyone unconscious for 24 hours—and everyone that could possibly be pregnant, expecting. The emotionally distant children are decidedly creepy, even more so than normal for kids, and things only get more concerning when they develop telekinetic powers. As in The Boroughs, the youth are not to be trusted. Stream The Midwich Cuckoos on AMC+.

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A Man on the Inside (2024 – )

No weird aliens nor horror here, but we do get some stars-from-those-things-you-liked, a retirement community setting, and some much-needed reminders that "old" doesn't mean "irrelevant." Ted Danson plays Charles Nieuwendyk, a hapless retired professor and recent widower who listens to his daughter's plea that he find something to keep him occupied. He answers an ad from a private investigator looking for someone to go undercover by moving into an elder-care facility in San Francisco in hopes of discovering who's been stealing the residents' jewelry. As he comes to care about the people he's investigating (and lying to), his job only gets harder. Sally Struthers, Margaret Avery, Susan Ruttan, Veronica Cartwright, and Clyde Kusatsu are among the very recognizable supporting cast, joined in season two by Mary Steenburgen. A third season is on the way. Stream A Man on the Inside on Netflix.

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Them (2021 – 2024)

Less with the generational conflict of many of these other shows, but rather the story of horror in a seemingly idyllic, made-to-order locale. Starting off in the 1950s, Them takes a stab at The Second Great Migration, when millions of Black people left the South for northern cities and suburbs; seeking opportunity and escaping overt racism in favor of ... slightly more veiled racism. The Emory family (led by Deborah Ayorinde and Ashley Thomas) move from North Carolina to an all-white neighborhood in East Compton, each family member eventually haunted by a different ghost. The picket fences and smiling white faces concealing vicious intent are far more frightening than any of the specters. The second, and final, season moves forward to LA of 1991, by which time some things have changed while others remain hauntingly the same. Stream Them on Prime Video.

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The Frog (2024)

Following his wife's death, Yeong-ha (Kim Yoon-seok) just wants a quiet life in the secluded town where he lives, renting out the house next door as a vacation rental—though he's not even all that enthusiastic about that. (The show gets bonus streamline points here for being headed by a grumpy loner guy who inexplicably puts himself into a situation where he's going to have to deal with people.) It's all going fine until a young woman shows up with her son, the same woman abruptly leaving behind blood stains and—even more disturbingly—the kid. Though it's a bit of a spoiler, this very-slow-burn and cinematic thriller takes place in multiple time periods—a clever storytelling technique given the show's unchanging locale. Stream The Frog on Netflix.

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Castle Rock (2018 – 2019)

The short-lived series took us on a deep dive into Stephen King's favorite location (well, maybe tied with Derry), the seemingly idyllic Castle Rock, Maine. There are multiple overlapping stories here, but Sissy Spacek's Ruth Deaver is a major character across the first season, and takes over for the episode “The Queen,” told from the unstable perspective of Ruth, a character with worsening dementia. It was one of the best, and most existentially horrifying, things on television that year. The Boroughs plays with the idea that the young people don't take older people seriously, even when perfectly cognizant, while Ruth's character is one who has still has plenty of important things to say, even as her own grip on reality falters. The cast across the two seasons is stellar, and includes Bill Skarsgård, a creepy character not named Pennywise. Stream Castle Rock on Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix.

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Gannibal (2022 – )

Another remote, charming town with some deep, dark secrets (the biggest of which is rather strongly hinted in the title), Gannibal stars Yuya Yagira as Daigo Agawa, a police officer from the big city who takes a job in the super cute (and, of course, remote) village of Kuge following some personal trouble. The perfectly charming Goto family runs the town, more or less, and welcome Daigo and his family. It's all looking pretty great—until a mysterious man gives Daigo's daughter a severed finger as a gift, and his wife Yuki finds the words "Run Away" scrawled over a door in their new home. Just a couple of reasons why I'm more of a city person. Stream Gannibal on Disney+ and Hulu.

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Wayward Pines (2015 – 2016)

Based on a trilogy of Blake Crouch novels, this one stars, initially, Matt Dillon as a Secret Service agent investigating the disappearances of two fellow agents in the Idaho town of Wayward Pines. Things go awry pretty much immediately, and he wakes up from a car accident to find one of the agents (Carla Gugino), who's also his ex, having settled down in the seemingly idyllic community—and she's 12 years older than when he last saw her a few weeks ago. Even more dramatically, the local sheriff (Terrence Howard) enforces a strict "no one ever leaves" policy, on pain of having one's neck slit. The mysteries pile up from there. Stream Wayward Pines on Hulu and Disney+.

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Tales From the Loop (2020)

A gorgeous-looking anthology, Tales From the Loop takes place in the small town of Mercer, Ohio—a town that happens to sit upon the titular Loop, a physics lab exploring mysteries for which science has no answers. Each episode offers the story of a person or family in the town impacted by the work of the Loop (founded by Russ, played by Jonathan Pryce), in slow-burning stories about the intersection of technology and human existence. It’s based on a conceptual art book by artist Simon Stålenhag, and successfully ports over the book’s striking look and feel. The show often feels very much like a meditation on some of its sci-fi themes—it's a bit gentler than something like Black Mirror, and not as frightening as The Boroughs, but still explores the threats that unchecked science can pose to our humanity. Stream Tales From the Loop on Prime Video.

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The Asus ROG Strix XG34WCDG packs a 34-inch QD-OLED panel with a 3440x1440 resolution, 175Hz refresh rate, and a near-instant 0.03ms response time into a monitor that can comfortably handle both high-end gaming and creative workloads. It also comes factory-calibrated, so color accuracy is already dialed in out of the box instead of requiring extra tweaking. Normally priced at $999, it’s currently down to $699—the lowest price it’s ever hit, according to price-tracking tools.

ASUS ROG Strix 34” Ultrawide Gaming Monitor (XG34WCDG)

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The QD-OLED panel is the main draw here. You get OLED's perfect blacks and near-instant pixel response combined with quantum dot color performance, while the 1800R curve adds genuine wraparound immersion without making straight lines look warped. Plus, the matte coating on this panel keeps it usable when there's ambient light in the room—a real consideration on glossy OLED panels. Asus also takes burn-in seriously, pairing a custom heatsink and graphene film cooling with a full OLED Care Pro software suite that shifts pixels, dims the screen when you walk away, and watches for static UI elements like taskbars and HUDs. It's a lot of infrastructure for a problem that shouldn't come up often, but it's reassuring to have.

On the gaming side, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync compatibility keep gameplay smooth across both AMD and NVIDIA setups, especially at the monitor’s native 175Hz refresh rate. That said, ultrawide support remains inconsistent in some games, with certain titles adding black bars or awkward UI scaling. OLED brightness is also best in controlled lighting rather than a room flooded with direct sunlight. And while the USB-C port is convenient for charging accessories or connecting lightweight devices, the 15W power delivery falls well short of what you'd want for a proper single-cable laptop setup. Still, for anyone who wants one display that can handle fast-paced gaming, immersive ultrawide experiences, and creative work without obvious compromises, $699 for this panel is a legitimate no-brainer.

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A 100-inch TV used to be the kind of purchase reserved for sports bars and people with more money than restraint. The Samsung QN80F is changing that math. Right now, the 100-inch model is down to $3,997.99 from $5,497.99—a $1,500 drop—and price trackers confirm this is a record low. That's still a serious chunk of change, but for a Mini LED TV with four HDMI 2.1 ports all running 4K at 144Hz with full VRR support, it's a genuinely hard number to argue with.

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The QN80F is Samsung's mid-tier Neo QLED for 2025, and an upgrade over the Q80D from 2024. Its Mini LED backlighting means better contrast and local dimming than a standard QLED, and the NQ4 AI Gen2 processor handles 4K upscaling well enough that your library of non-4K content won't look embarrassing on a screen this size. It's a particularly strong pick for living room gaming setups, too, with low input lag, solid format support, and a suite of gaming features that punch above this price tier.

That said, it's not a perfect TV. Black uniformity isn't great, so dark rooms with bright highlights will show some haloing and clouding. Motion handling at 60Hz is also a weak point, so if you're a competitive gamer or a sports fanatic, you'll want to look at the QN90F or a similarly spec'd Hisense/TCL before pulling the trigger. The screen is also quite reflective—it handles ambient light well, but direct glare from windows or lamps will be genuinely distracting. Also, if you're a home theater purist, note that, while this TV supports HDR10+, it lacks Dolby Vision.

The 75-inch QN80F is also down to its lowest price yet at $1,297.99 for anyone who doesn’t quite have room for the 100-inch model. But for people who can make the larger size work, deals like this are usually the closest you get to a truly theater-sized screen without spending several thousand dollars more.

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What is end-to-end encryption?

End-to-end encryption protects the contents of messages and calls between users. Everything is scrambled in between and can only be unlocked and accessed on the recipient's device with the correct decryption key. This means that the data can't be intercepted or read by anyone else, including the tech companies that own the messaging apps.

These are the best apps for encrypted calls

Many of the secure messaging apps that you use for encrypting text conversations can also be used to make private calls:

• Signal: Signal is one of the best privacy-focused messaging apps available, with E2EE for all messages and calls. By default, conversations can only be read or heard by you and the recipient.

• WhatsApp: All messages and calls within WhatsApp are also automatically encrypted end to end.

• Messenger: Facebook Messenger also has E2EE on by default for all conversations, including messages and calls. (Meta just recently removed E2EE for DMs on Instagram.)

• Discord: Discord began rolling out E2EE for voice and video calls in 2024 and has now made this the default setting for all users.

• FaceTime: iOS users can take advantage of E2EE with FaceTime voice and video calls to other Apple devices.

• Viber: Viber is a voice over IP (VoIP) platform that allows for E2EE audio and video calls.

In addition, some video conferencing platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom have options to enable end-to-end encryption for meetings and calls. Calls between Android phones on Google Fi Wireless are also E2EE.

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Nothing over-ear headphones have been quietly taking over the audio game since launching in 2025, with a unique industrial aesthetic, impressive battery life, and ANC that rivals top brands like JBL and Sony. Launched in 2026, the Nothing Headphone(a) are a more affordable alternative to the flagship Nothing Headphone(1)—and still retain many of the same premium features and overall vibe. Right now, a pair is 15% off, bringing the price down to a record-low $169 (originally $199).

Nothing Headphone(a)

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These wireless ANC headphones, which earned a PCMag Editors' Choice Award, feature class-leading battery life, excellent sound, and effective noise cancellation. They last up to 135 hours with ANC and AAC codec off, and 75 hours with ANC on. A quick five-minute charge gives you up to eight minutes of playback, and the headphones completely recharge in two hours. The app lets you switch listening modes, adjust how much high- and low-frequency noise gets filtered out, and enable Transparency mode. 

PCMag describes the sound as “rich, bright, and bass-heavy.”  The bass-boosted sound is courtesy of the More Bass EQ preset, and unlike some headphone brands, the bass is pronounced but doesn’t overpower the mids and highs, remaining fairly balanced. They have 40mm dynamic drivers and a 20-40kHz frequency response, earning them Hi-Res Audio certification.

The headphones use four HD mics to capture voices clearly, and do a good job of blocking out ambient noise. While this is a small step down from the six mics on the Headphone(1), they’re not a stripped-down budget version. They share many of the same features, including ANC, spatial audio with head tracking, LDAC high-res codec support, and USB-C lossless audio. The main tradeoffs are in material, appearance, and subtle differences in sound tuning. While still plush and comfy, the earcups aren’t quite as supple as those on the flagship pair.

That said, you might actually prefer the Nothing(a) if you want a more low-key look. They also have better battery life, and the lighter materials make them more comfortable and compact. If you’re looking for a long-lasting, feature-rich pair of over-ear ANC headphones that back up the aesthetics with genuinely strong sound, the Nothing Headphone(a) is a solid option.

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A ton of early Memorial Day sales are going on right now, and if you're an audiophiles, one of the best is happening over on Amazon, where tons of Sonos speakers are seeing huge discounts. Nearly every soundbar, smart speaker, subwoofer, or portable speaker the company makes is on sale right now, some for as much as $200 off.

Sonos Era 100 SL - Compact, Microphone-Free Speaker with WiFi, Bluetooth - White

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Sonos Roam 2 Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker (White)

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Sonos Sub Mini - White - Compact Wireless Subwoofer

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Dolby Atmos and Voice Control - 9.1.4 Surround Sound for TV and Music - Black

Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar

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Sonos Beam Gen 2 5.0ch Dolby Atmos Smart Soundbar (Black)

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Sonos Move 2 Wireless Bluetooth Portable Speaker (White)

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Sonos Era 300 Wireless Speaker - White

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Wireless Subwoofer - White

Sonos Sub 4

$759.00 at Amazon

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Sonos Five The High-Fidelity Speaker

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Compact Wireless Speaker for Streaming Music. Compatible with Alexa. (White) (Renewed)

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• The Sonos Era 100 SL is an updated version of the Sonos Era 100 smart speaker, which ditches its microphone (and thus its smart speaker capabilities) in favor of a $60 reduction in price. It is currently down to its lowest price ever, $169 (originally $189), according to price-checking tools. The Sonos Era 100 SL came out this February, and other than the microphone, it's the same exact speaker as the Era 100, which received an "excellent" review from PCMag. The speaker works with both Bluetooth and wifi and integrates seamlessly with most major music streaming services.

• The Roam 2 is Sonos' version of a portable speaker, and it integrates seamlessly into the ecosystem, giving you the freedom to play multi-room media. It has a speakerphone feature, in-app EQ, wireless charging, and water resistance, and it is compatible with the Alexa and Sonos voice assistants, according to PCMag's review. At $134 (originally $179), the Roam 2 is the cheapest Sonos speaker you can buy.

• The Sonos Sub Mini is a smaller and more affordable version of the Sonos Sub, and it's $399 (originally $499). It's perfect for a small apartment or a room where you want a soundbar and subwoofer combo.

• You can get Sonos' latest flagship soundbar, the Arc Ultra, for $899 (originally $999) after a $100 discount. The Arc Ultra succeeded the already excellent Arc Soundbar, adding Bluetooth and a more immersive audio experience with deeper bass and clearer dialogue, according to PCMag's "outstanding" review. This is a very long soundbar, measuring 2.95 by 46.38 by 4.35 inches, so make sure you have the space for it.

• If you don't have the space, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is much more compact and is going for $369 (originally $499). It has Atmos compatibility, eARC connectivity, NFC connectivity, and a better processor than the Gen 1, according to CNET's review.

• The Sonos Move 2 is a portable smart speaker offering an impressive 24-hour battery life that makes the imposing design a bit more palatable. You can get one for $399 (originally $499).

• If you don't care about portability, you can opt for the Sonos Era 300 for $379 (originally $449). It has better bass, plays Dolby Atmos tracks from Apple Music and Amazon Music, and retains most of the other features of the Sonos Move 2. (PCMag gave it an "excellent" review.)

• The Sub 4 is Sonos' flagship soundwoofer, and it can make your living room rumble when you pair it with a Sonos soundbar to generate theater-worthy sound. You can get it for $759 (originally $899).

• The Sonos Five has been around for a while. It's a powerful wireless speaker perfect to set up on a bookshelf or kitchen counter, or to use with a turntable. It's $479 (originally $599) right now.

• Even older than the Sonos Five is the Sonos Play:1,; this is likely why it's being sold as renewed instead of new (you likely won't find this speaker new anywhere in 2026). It's one of Sonos' earliest wireless multi-room speakers, and you can get one for $154.51 (originally $199.99).

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Apple does have a good track record when it comes to accessibility features, and it usually announces a slate of new accessibility updates ahead of WWDC. But this year feels a bit different: While these features will indeed likely benefit users with limitations or special needs, Apple also advertises them as "powered by Apple Intelligence." This is almost certainly the company's way of signaling to the tech community (as well as investors) that it is continuing to take AI seriously, especially after two years of slowdowns and setbacks. Moreover, several of these features seem widely useful, whether you "need" them or not.

You can use Voice Control with natural language

Perhaps the most universally useful new upgrade is to Voice Control. While Apple currently lets you use Voice Control to navigate your iPhone with spoken commands, Apple Intelligence will let you use Voice Control with natural language. That means instead of asking Voice Control to tap an input at a certain grid number, you can say "Open the yellow folder" in Files, or "tap the 'Best Restaurants' guide" in Maps. 

This is going to be huge for users who rely on Voice Control to use their iPhone or iPad. But it also shows that Apple Intelligence has advanced to the point where any of us can control these devices with our voices. If you need to use your iPhone hands-free for any reason—say, you want to check a recipe while cooking—you could direct your iPhone with your voice, rather than wash your hands, find the right recipe, then wash your hands again.

Add subtitles to personal videos

Apple says that with its future update, Apple Intelligence will be able to caption videos whenever subtitles aren't present. That could work on a clip you watch online that doesn't have subtitles, or on a video you filmed yourself. This will happen automatically on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro, and Apple says the entire process is processed privately on-device (though it can be toggled on or off).

VoiceOver and Magnifier

Credit: Apple

Apple says later this year, VoiceOver and Magnifier will be able to describe what's on your screen—which, when paired with the camera, means your phone will be able to describe what's going on around you. You'll be able to use the "Image Explorer" in VoiceOver to receive descriptions of photos, bills, records, and anything else you feed it. With Live Recognition, Apple Intelligence will be able to describe what's going on in the camera view, similar to how competitor products like Gemini Live work. To that point, Apple says you will also be able to ask follow-up questions "in your own words," which makes the experience a bit more of a back-and-forth, rather than constantly pinging the assistant.

The Magnifier option makes it easier for users with low vision to see certain elements up close. After the upgrade, though, when hovering Maginifier's camera over a document or a receipt, you'll also be able to ask Apple Intelligence questions about the subject For example, you could ask "How much is the bill for?" and get a full answer with context. You can also use voice commands to take actions, like "zoom in" or "turn on the flashlight."

Apple is improving the Accessibility Reader

Credit: Apple

Apple's Accessibility Reader can make it easier to read bodies of text with customizable fonts, backgrounds, layouts, and colors. Now, with Apple Intelligence, Accessibility Reader will work across "more complex source materials." That includes scientific articles, text printed in multiple columns, as well as images and data tables. The feature will also offer summaries, so you can get the gist of the material before reading on.

Apple Vision Pro accessibility updates are coming too

Credit: Apple

Apple has a few new Vision Pro upgrades coming this fall as well. First, the company is adding a new wheelchair control feature to the headset, which will allow users in power wheelchairs to control their wheelchairs with eye movements. In addition, Apple announced that Vehicle Motion Cues are coming to the headset. This feature, previously an iOS-exclusive, adds moving dots to the display to counteract the effects of motion sickness. It will be interesting to see if it can help combat motion sickness that is sometimes caused by using the Apple Vision Pro in a moving vehicle. Finally, users will have new options to perform taps and system actions via face gestures.

Other accessibility updates in the works

In addition to the above, Apple is adding the following accessibility options to iOS 27:

• Sony Access controller support for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS

• Touch Accommodations will support a "new way to personalize setup" in iOS and iPadOS

• Made for iPhone hearing aids are in the works, which can pair and hand off between your Apple devices like AirPods—which are also FDA-approved hearing aids

• Apple is adding larger text support for tvOS

• Name Recognition is expanding to over 50 languages

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As extreme weather, power outages, and energy uncertainty get harder to ignore, home generators and portable power stations are becoming an essential part of your emergency kit. While smaller power banks are helpful for camping trips or keeping your phone alive, a more substantial generator like the Jackery HomePower 3000 is a better choice for people who want something a lot more substantial. Right now, a bundle with the battery and solar panel attachments is $1,300 off on Amazon, a more than 40% discount from the original $2,999 price.

Jackery HomePower 3000 Portable Power Station

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The Jackery HomePower 3000 is designed to power appliances like a fridge as well as your wifi, lights, and fans for a couple of days in the event of a power outage (this time frame depends on the overall load). It's also suitable for RV use. It has a 3,072Wh LiFePO4 battery with 3,600W running output and 7,200W surge power, making it ideal for higher-draw appliances. It can fully recharge in 1.7 hours, and supports multiple charging methods, including AC, solar, car, AC+DC hybrid, and gas-generator charging. 

This bundle comes with two 200W solar panels. Compared to smaller power stations, it has a solid variety of ports, including 120V AC outlets, one 120V 30A outlet, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, and a car port. That said, at 59.5 pounds, the tradeoff is that it’s not portable enough to casually carry around. That said, the amount of features that it packs into a somewhat compact package is pretty impressive. 

If you are looking for a serious power station that can keep your appliances running without the fumes, noise, and maintenance that a gas generator requires, the Jackery HomePower 3000 solar power bundle is a reliable option, and a much better deal at this discount.

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For anyone who has ever wished Strava treated their weight training with even a fraction of the seriousness it gives to runs and rides, the update certainly looks promising. Whether it fully delivers on its potential is a question that will require some testing to answer, given that most strength apps look better on paper than they actually work in practice.

Strava's workout log is getting a full refresh, including muscle maps

The core update is a completely refreshed workout log that lets you record sets, reps, and weight directly inside Strava. In theory, this could close a gap for all of the Strava runners out there who also lift, but lack a reliable way to keep that training data in the same place as everything else.

For me, the most eye-catching feature is that every logged strength workout will now automatically generate a visual muscle map highlighting which muscle groups were worked based on the exercises recorded. This could be a great way to understand your training balance, avoid overuse, and make sure you're not accidentally skipping the same muscles every week. Of course, a muscle map is only as good as the underlying exercise data, and a factor there could be how well the different partner apps feed into Strava. .

These partner apps now work with Strava

Strava is launching with 14 partner integrations, pulling strength data from apps and devices across the fitness ecosystem. The initial partners include: 24 Hour Fitness (coming this summer), Amazfit, Caliber, Coros, Fitbod, Garmin, Hevy, iFIT Personal Trainer, JEFIT, Liftoff, Motra, Remaker, Runna, and Whoop.

I'll be covering these integrations in more depth once I have a clearer picture of exactly what data each one sends across and how it surfaces inside Strava. But a few things stand out to me. The Hevy integration seems particularly promising. Hevy is a well-regarded dedicated strength logging app, and pulling detailed workout data from it directly into Strava could be a welcome consolidation for people already using it.

For Coros and Garmin users, the integration should mean strength sessions tracked on your watch will flow into Strava automatically, just like your runs do now. I'm curious to dig into exactly what that looks like in practice—how exercises are classified, whether sets and reps come through cleanly, and whether the muscle maps populate correctly from watch-captured data versus manually logged workouts.

The Whoop integration is also worth noting, as Whoop just added expanded strength training features of its own. Given Whoop's status as a launch partner, I imagine there are plenty of ways the two platforms complement each other—say, with Whoop's recovery and strain data sitting alongside Strava's activity log and social elements. And on that note, Strava is also adding five new strength-specific share formats, designed to give gym workouts the same social motivation juice that outdoor activities have always had on the platform.

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The Flipper One is being built on a Rockchip RK3576 processor and the modular design means it can be expanded. "Flipper Zero taught us how much you can do with a tightly scoped, open product and a community that pushes it further than you can. Flipper One is what happens when we apply the same approach to a much bigger problem—building a fully open ARM Linux device that doesn't go obsolete the moment it ships," Pavel Zhovner, Co-founder and CEO of Flipper Devices, said in a press release.

In keeping with the Flipper "open everything" ethos, the Flipper One is a community developed project, and anyone who wants to can check in and/or help out through the Developer Portal.

What you will be able to do with a Flipper One

Network debugging: The Flipper One will feature high-speed connectivity, including Ethernet, wi-fi 6E, and optional 5G, allowing it to function as an advanced network debugging tool.

On-Device AI: The Flipper One will have local AI hardware acceleration, so it will be able to handle compute-heavy tasks without needing a cloud connection.

Wireless analysis: The device will capture and analyze wireless traffic and network signals in real time.

Who is the Flipper One for?

If you work in network administration, you probably already know why you need or don't need a Flipper One, but if you're just a casual tech enthusiast or tinkerer, it might provide a powerful sandbox. Here are some potential uses:

• As a retro console: Presumably, it will have enough power to run Linux video game emulation software, so you could connect a Bluetooth controller, plug into a TV, and have a powerful portable gaming rig in your pocket.

• As a home server: You could use this to run a network-wide ad-blocker, or use it as a portable media server that could be accessed by any device on your wifi.

• As private AI: Since it can run artificial intelligence, you can experiment with LLMs in complete privacy.

• To learn about the devices around you: We are surrounded by Bluetooth beacons, wifi probes, and radio signals we never think about. This will give you some insight into that invisible world.

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As reported by TechCrunch's Zach Whittaker, scammers are sending emails from a legitimate internal Microsoft email address: msonlineservicesteam@microsoftonline.com. Microsoft uses this address to send a host of important messages, like two-factor authentication (2FA) codes, as well as other PSAs about user accounts. If you receive an email with this address, and look it up online, you'll find it's real, which might convince you that the email itself is real as well.

In his report, Whittaker highlighted how he received multiple emails from this email address. According to Whittaker, the messages themselves were pretty crudely constructed, with spammy links in the body. Some of the emails had subject lines purporting fraudulent activity on Whittaker's Microsoft account, while others said Whittaker had "[one] new private message," and that he needed to "verify access account email verification code account email verification code." Right. Even if the scammers aren't running great copy on their subject lines and emails, they're sophisticated enough to send messages from legitimate Microsoft email addresses, which increases the chances that people will fall for these scams—even if the emails are poorly made.

Microsoft didn't comment when TechCrunch reached out, but did confirm they received the request. To be fair, while it's not clear how scammers are achieving this, Microsoft is not the only company dealing with this type of scheme. Earlier this year, Betterment had a similar issue with abuse of the third-party system it uses for customer communications. Namecheap, a domain registrar, also has issues with scammers abusing its legitimate email addresses.

How to spot fake emails from legitimate addresses

Checking the email address of a suspicious message is often the first step in determining its legitimacy, so the fact that scammers can take over these addresses might seem daunting. But there are plenty of other tells you can look out for to avoid falling victim to these phishing emails.

First, while the address might be legit, scammy links likely aren't. Hover your cursor over the hyperlinks in the email to reveal the URL. If you see shortened links, or lengthy, jumbled URLs, assume the worst. Be critical of how the email is constructed as well. If there are spelling or grammatical errors in the subject line or body, or if the overall design doesn't align with the standards of the company in question, it's likely fraudulent.

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That book you tried to avoid reading in high school? It's now a pretty damn successful, and fairly faithful, BBC miniseries—succeeding either because brutal times invite brutal narratives, or maybe just because we like watching kids go wild.

And the kids, indeed, are absolutely crucial to the series and to William Golding's original novel: The book version of Lord of the Flies is perhaps better known than read because of its relatively straightforward narrative about how fast humans will devolve once the strictures of society are removed. We know that story, and we can imagine echoes of it in the news every day, but Golding's conceit to let it play out with a bunch of kids still feels shocking.

Many of the shows below were directly inspired by Golding's novel, even if they all center older teenagers or adults. Watch the new adaptation of Lord of the Flies on Netflix, and then consider these other shows about closed societies in extremis.

Yellowjackets (2021 – )

This time-hopping survival drama is about a group of teenage girls who are stranded in the wilderness in 1996 and do terrible things to survive—the extent of which we only learn about via flashbacks from the present day, where the events of 19 months spent in the wild continue to resonate. There are ambiguous teases of the supernatural here, but there's plenty of human-level horror as well. The show plays in some of the same territory as Lord of the Flies in its explorations of the nasty things we get up to when in survival mode, while also cynically (but accurately) positing that there's a huge difference between the version of the past we talk about and the one that really happened. Stream Yellowjackets on Paramount+.

Yellowjackets (2021 – )

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The Wilds (2020 – 2022)

Situated between flashbacks and flash-forwards (not entirely unlike Yellowjackets), mystery/thriller The Wilds sees an airplane full of teenage girls crash on the way to an empowerment program in Hawaii. It quickly becomes clear that the accident was engineered and that the whole thing is some sort of social experiment, and the survivors are forced to compete against each other if they want to live. The show understands the ways in which young women are exploited and expected to compete against each other in the real world, making clear that a Lord of the Flies scenario with women at its center isn't going to go any better, even if it would play out differently. Stream The Wilds on Prime Video.

The Wilds (2020 – 2022)

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Lost (2004 – 2010)

If William Golding's Lord of the Flies can be seen as a trifle pat and on-the-nose, this latter-day plane crash narrative goes all-in on mystery and philosophy. We kick off with flashbacks that peel back the layers of the various crash survivors before diving headfirst into warm weather polar bears and mysterious underground bunkers and monsters made of smoke. Whether it's an uncommonly smart network show that rewards careful viewing or a load of nonsense is in the eye of the beholder—but it remains one of the most discussed and debated shows in TV history. Stream Lost on Disney+ and Hulu.

Lost (2004 – 2010)

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The Society (2019)

Kathryn Newton heads this surprisingly smart Golding riff about a group of teenagers forced to create their own community after all the adults disappear and a dense new forest crops up around their small enclave, cutting them off from everything and everyone else. It's less a show about the law of the jungle than one about coming of age in a world where the usual rules are no longer in effect. Stream The Society on Netflix.

The Society (2019)

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The 100 (2014 – 2020)

At seven seasons, the CW’s YA The 100 is our most deeply explored TV apocalypse, telling the story of the descendants of refugees of nuclear devastation who return to Earth from their habitat in space to encounter the remnants of humanity who have survived on Earth. Naturally, the first people sent to scope things out are the juvenile delinquents (better them than me), and they discover that three civilizations have risen up in the aftermath of the apocalypse, and they are all pretty darned scary (including one populated by cannibals, naturally). More humane, perhaps, than Lord of the Flies, even as it explores similar themes, this show builds an impressive mythology over the course of its run, leading to a conclusion that’s borderline metaphysical. Buy The 100 from Prime Video.

The 100 (2014 – 2020)

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The Decameron (2024)

Loosely adapting Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th century story collection with hints of Bridgerton-esque swagger, this version takes us to plague-ravaged Florence, as a bunch of nobles and attendants make their way across a dangerous landscape to hole up in a countryside villa to wait out the end while draining the liquor supplies—as you would. Rules and social mores are turned upside down, particularly by servant Licisca (Tanya Reynolds), who kind of accidentally kills her lady on the way to the villa, and then decides to take her place. No one's trapped on an island here (and obviously planes hadn't been invented yet), but there's still very much the sense that, however we are cut off from the rules of society, our most cherished values will very quickly turn to shit. Stream The Decameron on Netflix.

The Decameron (2024)

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The 8 Show (2024)

If you want to see people at their worst, you don't need to get stranded on a deserted island—just turn on the TV. Generally, South Korean TV shows and movies have been ahead of the curve when it comes to addressing the exploitative nature of late-stage capitalism, and this show fits right in with the likes of Squid Game. Eight strangers are selected to compete in a game in which they're locked together in a building and sequestered on different floors each night. They earn money for each minute they last, but all their provisions must be purchased with money they've won, and at an extreme markup. At first, the contestants pool their resources so that everyone gets more money—until they learn that people on higher floors are getting more. Then things get nasty. Stream The 8 Show on Netflix.

The 8 Show (2024)

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And Then There Were None (2015)

Your first instinct might be to eschew the idea that an Agatha Christie adaptation has anything to do with Lord of the Flies, even one where a bunch of people are stuck on an island. It's more than that, though: Christie absolutely delighted in putting her (frequently posh) characters under pressure until they popped, those polite conversations at afternoon teas concealing hideous instincts lurking beneath the surface. And in that vein, And Then There Were None is probably her nastiest (complimentary) portrait of people rewriting the once-cherished rules when pushed. Eight strangers arrive on the fictional, thoroughly isolated Soldier Island, off the Devon coast, brought together under various strange pretexts. At a tense dinner, they are presented with a gramophone recording explaining that each of them has been responsible for a death, and that each will face justice in turn. Dun dun dun. Stream And Then There Were None on Acorn TV.

And Then There Were None (2015)

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All of Us Are Dead (2022 – )

In All of Us Are Dead, high school becomes hell, almost literally, when a viral outbreak sees a Hyosan school become ground zero for a strange plague. The teenage students soon realize they've been quarantined from the rest of the city, and help isn't coming. Nihilism isn't uncommon in zombie narratives, nor are themes involving the breakdown of social structures. But All of Us Are Dead explores the world of a cloistered high school under constant threat as a parallel to our own: Class and background continue to be potent forces, even (or especially) amid the trauma of the attacks, and arbitrary social hierarchies solidify under the constant trauma. The closed school location is brilliantly utilized, and there's some appropriately soapy drama, too. Stream All of Us Are Dead on Netflix.

All of Us Are Dead (2022 – )

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The Stranded (2019)

At first glance a bit more grounded than some of the shows here, The Stranded takes place on a Thai island in the midst of a tsunami. The island was formerly home to a prestigious high school, and a bunch of students have snuck back for an ill-timed party on the last day of class. A bad idea, clearly, after the storm hits. Kraam (Papangkorn Lerkchaleampote), one of the few students who actually lives on the island, is trapped there along with a couple dozen classmates. Kraam knows the island, but Anan (Chutavuth Pattarakampol) assumes leadership while other students either take on necessary roles, or fall in line. As the miniseries progresses, the new political order breaks down, even as the island's mysteries reveal themselves. Stream The Stranded on Netflix.

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Media switching on Android works better as tiles

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Now, technically speaking, this isn't a whole new feature: It's an update to one that no one really used. In Android 16, you can swipe on the Now Playing panel in the Notifications shade to access previously used apps and media. But this gesture is often buggy, and you'll often end up swiping on the media scrubber itself. There's also no clear indication that you can switch between playback sources in the panel.

The new design in Android 17 fixes all of this, and makes it a feature I can actually see myself using every day. When you've used multiple media apps recently, you'll now see two tiles next to the Now Playing bar in the Notification shade. Tap on a tile, and it shows the source, with the title, background image, and your last listening position. From here, you can tap the big Play button to switch to the source. Swiping between the tiles works as well. And this also works on the lock screen, so you can switch between audio sources without even unlocking your smartphone.

You'll only see up to two other tiles at the same time, but the feature works with up to four recent audio sources. You'll just have to swipe across to see the fourth in the Now Playing bar. There is a downside, though. When you have two other sources, the playback tile itself shrinks down, and you lose out on the horizontal space. YouTube titles, especially, are brutally cut off. But in my time using the switcher, I didn't find that particularly annoying. The extra functionality outweighs the reduced readability. Plus, this feature is still in beta testing, so things could change before the official release.

The redesigned Now Playing bar is one of the many new features coming to Android 17. For example, Google recently announced "Continue On", which brings Apple's Handoff feature to the Android universe.

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The first-generation Sonos Beam has dropped to $260.93 at Woot for an open-box unit, and according to price trackers, that’s the lowest price this soundbar has hit so far. For comparison, the same model is still sitting around $488 on Amazon, where it has never dropped below $299. The “open box” label here is also less risky than it sounds. Woot says the packaging may have been opened for testing or display purposes, but the soundbar itself is new and still covered by a standard 12-month manufacturer’s warranty. Shipping is free for Prime members, while everyone else pays an extra $6. This deal runs for the next four days or until stock runs out.

Sonos Beam (Gen 1)

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Even though this is the older Beam from 2018, it still holds up surprisingly well if your main goal is improving TV audio without stuffing a giant soundbar under your screen. It is compact enough to fit comfortably in front of most TVs without blocking the display, and it looks clean in a way many bulkier soundbars don’t. More importantly, it works with Alexa, AirPlay 2, Siri, and Google Assistant, and it slides easily into a multi-room Sonos setup if you already own other speakers from the company.

Sonos packed four full-range drivers, a tweeter, and three passive radiators inside its small frame, and the result is a fuller, more detailed sound than most built-in TV speakers can manage. Dialogue comes through clearly, and movies have noticeably better depth and bass without immediately forcing you to buy a separate subwoofer. That said, it doesn’t support newer formats like Dolby Atmos, so you’re not getting the same overhead surround effects you’d find on newer premium models—but for apartments, bedrooms, or smaller living rooms, the Sonos Beam feels appropriately sized.

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Microsoft is trying to eliminate passwords

Microsoft has already started moving toward a password-less environment—last year, the company made passkeys the default on new accounts at setup. Now, it is phasing out SMS codes for 2FA and account recovery in favor of passkeys, authenticator apps, and verified backup email addresses.

SMS codes are quick to set up and convenient to use. However, they are also among the least secure forms of multi-factor authentication (MFA), as they are highly susceptible to phishing and SIM swapping attacks. Authenticator apps (which generate temporary codes that change every 30 seconds) may be slightly better, but the best MFA option is one based on WebAuthn credentials, like biometrics and passkeys.

Passkeys use your device's built-in authentication, such as a face scan, fingerprint scan, or PIN. They can also be synced across devices via password management services. Once you've established your passkey, you can authenticate logins anywhere using one of those methods on your trusted device. Passkeys can't be phished or stolen, and they only work on the legitimate domain they're made for (so they won't prompt you to authenticate if you're trying to log into a spoofed site). They also require that your trusted device be physically close to the device you're logging in on, so they can't be used to access your accounts remotely.

While there doesn't appear to be a set date for cutting off SMS authentication, Microsoft users should expect to make this transition to an alternative method soon.

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The 65-inch Toshiba C350 Fire TV is down to $264.99 on Amazon right now, which is half off its usual $529.99 price and the lowest it has dropped so far, according to price trackers. At this price, it sits in the same territory as many smaller budget sets, but with a much bigger screen. The main appeal here is simple: You’re getting a straightforward 65-inch 4K TV with Amazon’s Fire TV platform already built in—and because of that, setup is pretty painless if you already use Amazon devices. Once you sign in with your Amazon account, Prime Video recommendations, watchlists, and Alexa features are already sitting there waiting for you.

65-inch Toshiba C350 Fire TV

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The interface looks and behaves exactly like Amazon’s streaming hardware, right down to the content-heavy home screen and Alexa voice controls. Picture quality is decent for the money, though this is still very much an entry-level TV—the C350 handles 4K and HDR content, but it skips higher-end features like local dimming, wide color support, HDMI 2.1 gaming features, or a high refresh rate. In practice, while movies and shows look perfectly fine for casual viewing, contrast and color fall a bit behind those of similarly priced models from TCL and Vizio, especially in darker scenes, notes this CNET review. Fast-moving sports and games also won’t look as smooth as they would on more expensive TVs. Still, for everyday streaming, YouTube, and regular cable viewing, it gets the job done without major issues.

The bigger compromise is really the Fire TV experience itself. Amazon pushes its own content hard, and the interface can feel more cluttered and slower than other smart platform layouts. Some apps also work differently than they do on competing smart TV systems. For example, you can’t directly buy movies inside the Vudu app on this TV. Small annoyances like that add up depending on how you watch things. Also, the USB ports here don’t provide enough power for many external streaming sticks, so if you eventually switch away from Fire TV, you may need separate power cables for those devices.

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You actually burn most of your calories at rest

Calories aren’t only burned during exercise. It takes energy to keep the lights on, so to speak—for your heart to beat, your brain to think, your cells to repair themselves, and more. 

In fact, most of our calories are burned doing these maintenance chores. Scientists call this baseline calorie burn our "basal metabolic rate," or BMR. There are several equations that will estimate your BMR; for a calculator, try the one at tdeecalculator.net. (It uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula if you don’t know your body fat percentage, and the Katch-McArdle formula if you do.)

To give you an example, I plugged in my stats—I’m 150 pounds and 5’6”—and the equation guesses that someone my size burns: 

• 1,352 calories for most of my basic bodily functions (not including digestion!)

• 1,623 calories, total, if I’m sedentary

• 2,096 calories, total, if I do moderate exercise three to five times a week

• 2,569 calories, total, if I’m a hardcore athlete or a person who exercises on top of having a physical job

Keep in mind these are just estimates; your actual calorie burn may be more or less. (From tracking my calories over the years, I know that I'm usually somewhere between those last two numbers, depending on how active I am.) The factors that affect your total calorie burn include: 

• Body size: The bigger you are, the more calories you burn at baseline and the more you burn during exercise.

• Muscle mass: Muscle burns more calories than other tissues, which is why you get a more accurate estimate if you know your body fat percentage; the lower your body fat, the more muscle you have by comparison.

• Age: These formulas assume that your metabolism slows down a bit as you age (although there is evidence that this may not make a big difference).

• Activity: The more you exercise, the more calories you burn.

• Genetics and other factors not accounted for in the formula: There’s actually a huge variety from person to person, even if you compare people of the same size, age, etc. We're all different.

To give you a sense of the range, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans calculates calorie counts for two example people, who are both a bit smaller than average Americans, but let's take a look anyway. The document figures that a 5’10” man who weighs 154 pounds will burn, in total, between 2,000 and 3,000 calories each day, depending on his age and activity level. Their example woman is 5’4” and 126 pounds, and she will burn between 1,600 and 2,400 calories. 

So if you’re used to thinking of 2,000 calories as some kind of upper limit for how much to eat—or 1,200 calories as a calorie budget for dieting—you may be surprised to realize how many calories you probably already burn.

How (and why) to burn more calories

If you’re trying to lose weight, logic would say that you should focus more on diet than exercise. After all, if most of your calorie burn is your BMR, exercise is going to be a drop in the bucket by comparison. 

I don’t think that’s the only thing you should consider, though. If your BMR is 1,300 calories and your total burn is 1,600, then sure, you could eat 1,300 calories without exercising and probably lose weight. But it’s hard to be healthy while you’re eating so little. 

Burning more calories through exercise helps your body in two ways: 

1. Exercise is good for us, regardless of calorie burn; we should all be getting at least 150 minutes of cardio per week, plus some strength training to help build or retain muscle.

2. The more food you eat, the easier it is to fit in the good stuff: vitamins, minerals, fiber, good fats, and a variety of vegetables.

A person who burns 2,300 calories and eats 2,000 is in a much better position to benefit from exercise and good nutrition than a person who burns 1,600 and eats 1,300. 

So how do you burn more calories? You can’t get younger, and if you’re losing weight you won’t want to get bigger. The biggest levers you can pull are: 

• Exercise more

• Gain muscle mass (through strength training, and eating plenty of protein)

• Don’t diet all the time

I’ve written before about how I’ve noticed my total calorie burn increases when I’m eating more food; when you feed your body, it’s more willing to expend energy. This is one of the reasons it’s thought to be beneficial to take “diet breaks” if you plan to be in a weight-loss phase for a long time.

Why you shouldn’t rely on “calorie burn” numbers from wearables or exercise machines

You’re probably wondering how much exercise is “enough” to burn more calories. It’s a trick question, though: You want to change what kind of person you are—stop being sedentary and become a frequent exerciser—rather than nickel-and-dime yourself about exactly what numbers you burned in which workout.

This is because our bodies get more efficient with exercise over time. A half-hour jog might burn 300 calories in theory, but at the end of the day you may have only burned, say, 200 more than if you hadn’t jogged. You might end up feeling more tired later in the day, or you might just be getting better at running and burning fewer calories when you do it. (This is an ongoing area of scientific research.) 

There is evidence that exercise machines’ estimates of calorie burn are extremely inaccurate; wearables like Fitbits and Apple Watches are probably a bit better, being personalized to your exercise intensity, but they’re still ultimately relying on estimates that aren’t always accurate.

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Given this trend, it should hardly come as a surprise that during I/O 2026, Google announced "a new era for AI Search." This "era" essentially marks an expansion of its investment in AI in Search: In addition to rolling out its new Gemini 3.5 Flash model to Search, Google is making it even easier to use its AI-generated results (or, perhaps, harder to avoid them). You can now expand an AI Overview to continue the conversation in AI Mode, and keep receiving answers without engaging with any primary sources yourself. Google will also soon offer select users access to Search "agents," which can take actions on your behalf on the web.

Google's goal is to make Search synonymous with AI, which will no doubt please Google's investors, but will also alienate some users. Many of still search Google seeking good results for our queries, and not AI-generated summaries and chats. Personally, I'm not interested in "continuing the conversation" with Google's AI: I want to find relevant websites to read and explore. As such, I went looking for Google Search alternatives that either don't use AI, or let you disable all AI features entirely. Here are five of your best options.

Kagi

Credit: Lifehacker

Kagi is a favorite among tech fans who want more control over their search experience. It includes perks like ad-free search and a high level of customization, but the real benefit for this discussion concerns its AI features: Kagi has them, and you can use them if you want to, but you can also avoid them entirely—and even use the browser to fight back against AI results on the web.

By default, Kagi keeps its AI "Quick Answer" setting behind a keyboard shortcut. If you want to use it, you'll need to enter a question mark at the end of your query. If you don't use question marks, you'll never see Kagi's version of AI Overviews, but you can also disable the feature entirely from Kagi's settings. That way, even if you ask Kagi a more formal question, you'll get the usual website links—not an AI-generated answer. Kagi also includes an option (appropriately called SlopStop) to block certain results that the search engine believes are AI-generated. That applies to both image and video results, too.

Kagi not only allows you to return to a simpler time of endless blue links and zero AI-generated answers, but it actively works to block any known AI content from entering your feed. The only downside is that Kagi isn't free: With other search engines, you pay for your use by being shown ads, but with Kagi, you pay with actual money. Your first 100 searches are free, and paid plans start at $5 per month.

Startpage

Credit: Lifehacker

Startpage's shtick is all about user privacy. According to the company, this search engine removes your personally identifying information each time you search. Rather than sending your request from you directly, Startpage will anonymously send the query to its search providers on your behalf and return the results to you without sharing your data. The search engine doesn't save your search history, and its measures should prevent your searches from being tracked across sites.

These privacy perks aside, Starpage has few AI features to worry about. By default, you shouldn't have to deal with them at all on the web app, but you can check under settings for any that may appear—Startpage says it has an optional Summary feature that uses AI to generate result synopses, but I don't even have the option in my Startpage settings. (Summary appears to be separate from Startpage's Instant Answer feature, which doesn't seem to use AI, but which can also be turned off in settings.) It's a similar story on mobile: If you're using the iOS app, the company says it offers optional AI features, but I don't see them in my settings there either. The company also offers a private AI app called Vanish, but that's unrelated to its search engine.

Startpage isn't as feature-filled as other search engines, but that might be to its benefit. In my experience, it offers a standard search experience out of the box, without much (if any) AI.

Qwant

Credit: Lifehacker

Qwant, as far as I can tell, has only one AI feature to speak of, called Flash Answer. Like other search engine, this feature uses AI to offer a summary of whatever it is you're asking about. Luckily, if you're looking to use a search engine free of AI, it's quite easy to disable.

The first time you use Qwant—at least, in my experience—Flash Answer will appear if Qwant's AI deems it appropriate. You'll see the option at the top of the search results window, complete with stars that denote its AI abilities. Click "Flash Answer," then choose "Deactivated," rather than "Activated by Qwant" (the default), or "Always activated." Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you can strip away the option itself, so you'll always have to stare at the "Flash Answer" button, but at least you can quickly scroll down to view your straightforward links.

DuckDuckGo

Credit: Lifeahcker

DuckDuckGo has long been a go-to option for users looking for a privacy-focused search engine. However, in recent years, the company has taken a bit of a headfirst approach to AI, adding new features and chatbot integrations to keep up with the rest of the industry. If you use DuckDuckGo's defaults, you'll indeed see "Search Assist," its version of AI Overviews, and you'll be invited to try Duck.ai, the company's original chatbot. Fortunately, like other entries on this list, you can disable these options for the most part, and keep the focus on the links.

In DuckDuckGo's search engine, click the three lines to find the site's Settings. Here, choose "AI Features," where you'll see all of DuckDuckGo's AI options. Disable Duck.ai, then set Search Assist to "Never." Finally, you can choose to hide AI-generated images, if you really want a search engine experience devoid of AI.

Ecosia

Credit: Lifehacker

Ecosia has long been the choice for eco-conscious web surfers. The company uses its ad revenue to plant trees all over the world, which makes for an engaging pitch: If you're not going to use Google anyway, perhaps you should use a search engine that makes the world a better (or at least greener) place.

While Ecosia's main mission hasn't changed, it has added new AI features to the mix. Notably, there are now Overviews, which are Ecosia's AI-generated summaries, as well as AI Chat, which uses models from OpenAI to run. While Overviews are enabled by default, you can disable them at any time from Ecosia's settings (which you'll find at the bottom of any given search results). However, Ecosia doesn't let you disable its AI Chat button, even if you aren't using the feature. That might not be a dealbreaker for you, since the feature isn't engaged unless you click the button, but it's a bit disappointing that Ecosia forces you to look at an invitation to use AI Chat every time you search.

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Earlier this month, I strapped on two different Garmin watches to race a 10K—a mid-range model on one wrist, a premium one on the other—to see how they stacked up. This time, I branched outside of Garmin's ecosystem. For the Brooklyn Half-Marathon, I wore the Garmin Forerunner 970 ($749.99) on my right wrist and the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro ($449.99) on my left, pitting one of the most trusted running watches in the game against Amazfit's more affordable and most ambitious claim to the long-distance running space. Here's how it went.

Garmin® Forerunner® 970, Premium GPS Running and Triathlon Smartwatch, AMOLED Display, Built-in LED Flashlight, Titanium with Whitestone Case and Whitestone/Translucent Amp Yellow Band

$649.99 at Amazon

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Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro 48mm GPS Running Smartwatch, 1.32" AMOLED Display, Sapphire Glass, Ti Case, 32GB Storage, 20 Days of Battery, 5 ATM, Flashlight, Offline Maps, 170+ Sports for Android & iPhone

$449.99 at Amazon

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It's a tie between the Garmin 970 and the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro on GPS and core metrics

A quick caveat: I had a slightly botched start to the race—nothing catastrophic, but enough that you should give a little wiggle room when comparing the exact times and distances between the two watches and my official results. For the record, my official race time was 2:04:49 at a 9:32 per mile pace. The Amazfit logged 13.23 miles in 2:04:26 at a 9:24 per mile pace. The Garmin recorded 13.22 miles in 2:04:20, also at a 9:24 per mile pace. Considering the chaotic energy of the starting line (and my own user error pressing "start workout"), both watches performed impressively close to each other, and reasonably close to my official chip time.

If the only thing you care about is whether a watch will accurately track your distance, pace, and heart rate during a race, both of these watches get the job done. The GPS readings were nearly identical, and the heart rate data was consistent across both devices throughout the race itself. The Amazfit had my average heart rate at 166 bpm with a max of 192 bpm. The Garmin entry matches that exactly. For the metrics that matter most on race day, there's no meaningful gap between them.

This makes me wonder if perhaps I was a bit too harsh on the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro in my initial review. As a racing watch, it reliably delivers. It's also notably lightweight, which is a major consideration for long distances.

Why I'm sticking to my Garmin over the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro

All that said, there are some small ways the Forerunner 970 pulls ahead for me. Garmin's display is just a little more visible and easier to read at a glance, which matters when you're breathing hard and trying to catch your pace mid-stride without breaking form. The "raise wrist" unlock feature is also noticeably more responsive on the Garmin. Again, these are small things, but they feel big when you're trying to check your splits in the middle of a race.

And then there are the running dynamics. I've included the stats screens from both watches' companion apps here. Even people who find Garmin Connect a little cumbersome to navigate (and plenty of devoted Garmin users do) will appreciate the sheer depth of what's there once you find what you're looking for. As you can see below, I even have step speed loss data, thanks to the HRM 600 chest strap. Stay tuned for my upcoming post that goes more in-depth with the running insights that chest strap unlocks.

Amazfit stats in the Zepp app. Credit: Meredith Dietz

Garmin stats in Garmin Connect. Credit: Meredith Dietz

As a racing watch, the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro is perfectly capable. But as a training watch for someone seriously preparing for a full marathon (which is how Amazfit is marketing it), the value proposition doesn't impress me. Let's take the 970 out of the equation, since it is $300 more expensive than the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro. I still keep asking myself what type of long-distance runner would choose Amazfit at this price over more established brands. The running ecosystem around it—the training tools, the recovery insights, the daily coaching features—just doesn't stand out against the competition, like the Garmin Forerunner 570 ($449.99) or Coros' Vertix 2S ($699). And for the kind of runner who is putting in the weekly mileage to race a half or full marathon, those daily training features probably matter more than race-day accuracy.

Ultimately, both watches here tracked this half-marathon with accuracy I'd feel confident racing with again. For data nerds, Garmin is tough to beat (especially if you have the HRM 600 chest strap to see your running economy and step speed loss). The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro surprised me on race day, and I think I owe it a warmer review than the one I initially gave it.

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The good news, however, is that there are some features and changes Google announced at I/O that you can try out right now, without paying a dime. These are new adjustments to apps and services you may use every day, like Google Search, the Gemini app, or Gemini itself. While Google does have more free I/O features coming later this year (and as soon as this summer), these are the announcements you can experience today:

Gemini 3.5 Flash is now in Google search and the Gemini app

Google I/O 2026 was all about AI. As such, one of the biggest announcements from the keynote was Gemini 3.5 Flash, the latest update to Google's Gemini model. It's the first model in the Gemini 3.5 family, as Google says it's still working on Gemini 3.5 Pro.

According to Google, Gemini 3.5 Flash competes with other flagship AI models "on multiple dimensions." The company says that 3.5 Flash outperforms 3.1 Pro in coding and agentic benchmarks, and is an industry leader in multimodal understanding. Because it's a "Flash" model, it's designed to be quicker than other models that prioritize performance over speed. To that point, Google says 3.5 Flash is four times faster than other "frontier" models.

Taken at its word, Gemini 3.5 Flash is an option for just about anyone who uses AI. If you're a developer, Google says 3.5 Flash will save you time and money, as it's frequently less than half the cost of comparable models. But for the rest of us who don't use AI for coding or developing, Gemini 3.5 will be most accessible in Google Search and the Gemini app. As of Tuesday, this is the model powering Google's flagship AI products, so if you've used Gemini in the past 24 hours, you've likely used 3.5 Flash.

Google's new AI "Intelligent Search" box is already rolling out

There are a lot of changes coming to Google Search, many of which fundamentally change how the platform functions. Google wants Search to be a true AI-powered experience, focusing more on interacting with AI Mode and AI Overviews than on the individual links and sources those answers pull from. As sites continue to lose traffic due to these AI updates, it isn't an exaggeration to say this new approach may change the web forever.

Those major changes are coming next week. Today, however, there are other changes you'll notice when using Google Search. Of course, you now know that the underlying AI model powering AI Mode and AI Overviews is Gemini 3.5 Flash, but that's far from the only change. Perhaps the most notable update is the new "Intelligent Search" box. When you select "AI Mode" in the Search box, Google taps into Gemini 3.5 Flash to offer AI-powered suggestions as you type. As advertised, the feature seems intended for more conversational searches, rather than quick queries. Things like "I'm looking for a new hobby and am interested in pottery." As you type, Google might suggest the following: "Is wheel throwing or hand building easier to learn?" The idea is to guess what you're going to ask to save time, or suggest search terms you might not have thought of yourself. The feature is multimodal too, so you can search with images, files, videos, or Chrome tabs, in addition to text.

Google started rolling out the feature to users on Tuesday, so it could be live on your end, but it may take some time. (As of this article, I don't see it yet.)

AI Mode just got easier to use

AI Overviews are divisive: While many might find them convenient for quick results, others criticize the tool's accuracy. (Don't forget that AI Overviews once recommended putting glue on pizza to keep the cheese from falling off.) However, if you do enjoy using Google AI Search tools, you might like this next change.

On Tuesday, Google rolled out an update to AI Overviews that makes it easier to jump right into AI Mode from the results. Now, when you get an AI Overview, you can choose to expand it, which features a chat box at the bottom of the window. You can use this to jump into a "conversation" through AI Mode, if you want to continue asking questions about the subject.

More Search features are coming this summer

Google has a slew of new Search features coming later this summer, too. Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers will be able to try "information agents," which keep an eye on certain topics, sales, or trends and alert you when things change. Free and paid users alike will be able to use agents to book things, including restaurant reservations and private karaoke rooms, directly in Search. In addition, Google is rolling out Universal Cart this summer for everyone, which lets you add items from multiple stores into one digital cart.

But perhaps the biggest update for free users, in my view, is agentic coding. Google will use Gemini 3.5 Flash to build interactive elements in real-time based on your queries. If you're asking about black holes, Google may build you a demo that you can play with to see how they work. These will also roll out this summer for free.

The Gemini app's got a "Neural Expressive" design update

In addition to running Gemini 3.5 Flash, the Gemini app gets a new visual design refresh. Google is calling this "Neural Expressive," featuring new animations, colors, typography, and haptic feedback. It definitely has a different look than the original Gemini app, or Google's usual design scheme at that, so if you're interested in UI refreshes, you can check that out today.

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Despite these benefits, the big dealbreaker for me was that you could not move your passkeys from one app to another. If you want to change password managers, you can easily move your passwords from one to the other, but the same wasn't true for passkeys—at least, until now. The FIDO Alliance, an industry body focused on secure authentication, created a set of specifications that let you move your passkeys from one app to another, reducing this friction. As it happens, Apple was among the first to ship this feature with the release of iOS 26 late last year.

An import/export option only truly works when all the big players support it, and in recent months, most of the big password management apps have integrated this feature. I tested it by moving my passkeys from Apple Passwords to 1Password, and the process worked well enough to convince me to finally embrace passkeys. If I choose to replace my password manager tomorrow, I won't have to worry about being locked in thanks to my passkeys. Here's how it works with Apple Passwords.

How to export passkeys from Apple Passwords

Credit: Pranay Parab

To start, install and set up the new password manager on the same Apple device as the one with your Passwords app containing your passkeys. Then, open Passwords, navigate to the home screen, tap the three dots in the top-right corner, and select Export Data to Another App. Manually select all the login items that have a passkey, or select all of your passwords if you wish to. Tap Continue when you're done, and you'll reach the "Export Passwords" page. Select Continue on this page, too. You'll see a list of password management apps that support this feature, and you can select the one you want to export to. I chose 1Password, and my passkeys followed suit. In Passwords for Mac, you can find this feature under File > Export Selected Items to App.

How to import passkeys into Apple Passwords

Credit: Pranay Parab

If you want to move your passkeys from other password management apps, you'll have to open those apps and use their export feature. This feature is often buried deep in settings pages, so you should check the user manuals or guides on your password manager's site to confirm how this is done. Some apps don't allow you to export select passkeys, and may instead force you to export all of your data from one app to another. Once you find the export feature in your password manager app, you'll come across the same "Export Passwords" page as Apple Passwords. Hit Continue, and the app will show you a list of password managers. Pick Passwords, then choose Continue once again. In Passwords for Mac, you can find this feature under File > Import Passwords from File.

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But before we're put to the test, let's take a look at what proper Hyrox prep looks like, and the bare minimum you can (probably) get away with if you want to show up to a competition without a ton of training.

What is Hyrox, exactly?

Beth goes into more depth elsewhere, but here’s a quick primer on Hyrox. In brief, it's a running race combined with functional workout stations, repeated eight times. You run 1 km, hit a workout station, run another 1 km, hit another station, and so on. The stations include activities like sled pushes, rowing, burpee broad jumps, walking lunges, and wall balls. While each station may sound manageable on its own, they become far more difficult when your legs have already been tired out through multiple rounds.

You can compete in Hyroc solo, in doubles, or as a relay team. Naturally, your strategy will depend on which format you’re attempting. For doubles specifically, both athletes run together, but you can split the functional movements however you want. That's where smart planning can make a real difference, and where Beth and I are currently scheming to the best of our ability. 

What does Hyrox training actually look like?

You can sign up for a Hyrox-style class at your local gym and get a great hybrid workout without ever joining an official race. "A regular Hyrox class gives you a taste of the format and builds general fitness for the event," says Elaine Cotter, head trainer and manager at an F45 gym in Brooklyn. "A dedicated training plan is more structured and performance-focused—including specific running workouts, both endurance and interval focused, strength progression, race simulations, pacing, and recovery. Taking some classes here and there means 'I want to be ready.' A dedicated training plan means 'I want to race this well.'"

If you're aiming to genuinely compete—that is, to push your time and finish strong—Cotter recommends starting at least 12 weeks out, and ideally, give yourself 16 weeks. That's enough runway to build a running base, develop muscular endurance across all the stations, and reduce injury risk. But what if you don't have 12 weeks? What if you have, say, one week?

Can you do Hyrox without training at all?

What’s the bare minimum of training a Hyrox athlete can hypothetically get away with? Well, in theory, "anyone with any running or strength training experience can complete a Hyrox," Cotter says. "Does that mean you may have to walk some of it or really take your time to recover in certain parts? Probably—but that's okay."

Unlike Crossfit (to which it is constantly compared), Hyrox is fundamentally a running race. "The run is the limiting factor for most people, and it takes up the most time in the race," Cotter says. "So at bare minimum, you should be able to confidently run an 8K [about five miles] without getting super winded. Even a 10K [6.2 miles]...will help simulate the general endurance needed." Strength matters too, and you should be familiar enough with the movements to perform them safely. But at the end of the day, the run is where most people lose time and hit their wall.

That said, Hyrox is far from a road race. You're doing things like heavy wall balls or sled pulls and then immediately going into a run. Running on such heavy legs is “the wildest feeling," Cotter says, "and it happens the entire time during the race." Practicing that sort of transition should be a priority leading up to race day.

Can you prepare for Hyrox with studio classes alone?

This one is relevant to Beth and me, since we've each taken about four or five Hyrox-specific classes in the lead-up to our race. Can our class attendance substitute for a dedicated 12-week training plan? Well, sort of—but only if you're also running.

"F45 classes and Hyrox-focused training are awesome for building the strength, endurance, and engine needed for the race," Cotter says, "but in a class setting, you aren't necessarily getting the running required. If you are just taking classes with no running outside of that, I fear you will find the race quite challenging."

Luckily, I was independently training for a half-marathon before we started this Hyrox journey, so I feel solid about my cardio. I know Beth has been prioritizing her runs the past few weeks, too. Anyone relying purely on studio classes without additional running should temper their expectations for race day.

How long should you taper before a Hyrox race?

I’m no stranger to taper madness. Especially if you know you've undertrained, the temptation is to keep cramming right up until race day. Unfortunately, that’s almost always a mistake. "The trap people fall into is thinking 'I'm underprepared, so I need to cram fitness until the last second,'" Cotter says. "But realistically, in the final week or two you're not building much new fitness—you're mostly deciding whether you show up tired or fresh."

Her recommendation for someone who started training late is to lean toward a shorter taper. The focus should be on maintaining confidence and rhythm, rather than gaining fitness. In the final days, aim for shorter sessions of 20–30 minutes with some intensity and running, but avoid anything that will leave your legs sore. "Showing up slightly undertrained but recovered is usually better than showing up technically fitter but cooked."

Her taper guidelines by length:

• 7 days: Ideal for most recreational athletes. 

• 4–5 days: Probably fine, if training volume wasn't super high. 

• 2–3 days: Survivable, but she wouldn't recommend going shorter than this.

The bottom line

If you're starting from scratch and want to do Hyrox well, give yourself 12 to 16 weeks to train, and build up your running base first.  If you're doing a doubles race and already have some general fitness under your belt, you can probably survive on much less—provided you can handle an 8K and you know what you're getting into with the workout stations. (For Beth and me, there’s reason to hope that our complementary weaknesses and strengths will be well-suited to the doubles format. Beth will likely handle more of the heavy strength pieces—sled push, sled pull, lunges—while I keep us moving on the runs.)

The final piece of advice is to have a plan for how you'll split each station before you arrive. Reps of 10? Reps of 5? Splits of 150 meters? Figure it out ahead of time so you're not negotiating mid-station with burning legs—and have the stronger runner finish each station so the person who struggles more on the run can get a little extra rest before the next one. (Plus, sitting down and strategizing is a great hack to distract yourself from the temptation to sabotage your taper.) 

How will all this theory work out in practice? We'll report back soon.

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